Strawberry Sugar Cookies

These strawberry sugar cookies are soft and chewy with a delicious strawberry flavor and crunchy sugar coating. These cookies are the perfect pink treat!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Strawberry Cookies, Strawberry Sugar Cookies

Servings: cookies

Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

Cookie Sheets

Ingredients

2 ounces freeze dried strawberries (58 grams)
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (281 grams) measured carefully - whisk first then spoon into dry measuring cups
2 teaspoons cornstarch AKA cornflour in the UK
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams) softened, but not starting to melt
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250 grams)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk discard the white, in addition to the other egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract I used clear to give the cookies a brighter pink color
2-4 drops red food coloring optional
2 teaspoons milk 1%, 2% or dairy free works
1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams) for rolling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Add the freeze dried berries to a food processor and pulse until they're a fine powder. Measure out 1/3 cup for the cookie dough. Any remaining powder can be used for rolling the cookies in with sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries until cremed.
Add in the egg, additional egg yolk, vanilla and food coloring to the butter mixture. Beat until combined. Note: for bright pink cookies like the ones pictured, I added 3-4 drops of concentrated red gel food coloring. Without food coloring, the cookies will be pale pink.
Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix together, starting with the mixer on a low speed, until incorporated.
Mix in the milk. Give the dough a squeeze between your fingers. If the dough is sticking to your fingers, mix in 1 more tablespoon of flour.
On a small plate, mix together the 1/3 cup granulated sugar and any remaining pulverized freeze dried berries. Scoop the dough into balls with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each - they should be a little smaller than a golf ball (I used a cookie scoop for this). Roll the dough balls in the strawberry sugar mixture. Note: If you've used all the freeze dried berries, simply roll the dough balls in 1/3 cup sugar.
Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time in the middle of the preheated oven. The cookies will bake for about 9-11 minutes, or until the tops look just set.

Notes

Freeze Dried Strawberries: Do not use fresh or frozen berries instead of freeze dried berries. They will introduce too much moisture to the cookies.
Flour: Measure the flour properly to ensure that the cookies aren't dry. Whisk first, then spoon into dry measuring cups and level off the top. Using a scale and measuring in grams will give the most accurate results.
Food Coloring: Food coloring is optional. The cookies will be pale pink without it.
Freezing: Cookie dough balls (rolled in sugar) can be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen as directed in the recipe.
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie, assuming the recipe yields 32 uniform cookies.

Nutrition